As the young disoriented Simon Hadley finally gets a grip onto his repressed sorcery skills, he puts all of his efforts into finding his missing friends. As he reunites them all into their former tight union and they strive to avoid recapture, they also realize that they have to move rapidly to somehow limit the growing power of their adversaries. Although Ithamar, the black modern-day sorcerer is now dead, the wealthy and ruthless cartel that had been allied with him, had achieved unbelievable political power throughout the western world with their contrived imposition of the widespread Anti-terrorist Treaty Authority. With the Authority hell-bent on extending their grip even further afield, it is apparent that the growing confrontation with the Middle Eastern alliance could shortly explode into a devastating nuclear war, so time is not on their side. As events escalate out of control, the remnants of the ancient forces with which Simon is bonded, now intervenes to him assist him to escape this turmoil. Unfortunately this assistance proves to be a mixed blessing, as they are caught up in events akin to their own ancient history, but where magic prevails alongside the other forces of nature. Here they are again confronted with the rise of a familiar black sorcery, where Simon's own significant magic may be their only hope. As they struggle to prevail, Simon realizes that they have followed the ancient footprints left by the alien Carzars, and he begins to contemplate that perhaps all of what has happened to him could well have been due to some grand plan devised by these extraterrestrials in antiquity.